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1. Cyprus urges EU support for Lebanon amid migration challenges

The Cypriot government is pleading with the European Union (EU) for financial support for Lebanon to bolster its border management efforts, according to a report by our Brussels correspondent, George Kakouris. ...

2. Minister highlights smallest resident population at Pournara

The outlook for Cyprus in relation to migration is positive, as in 2023 a 46% reduction in irregular migrant applications and a 66% increase in returns have been achieved, Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou said on Wednesday....

3. Interior Minister highlights 75% reduction in African arrivals

In bilateral meetings held in Geneva, Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou emphasized the shift from illegal to legal migration channels, as stated in a press release by the Interior Ministry on Friday. ...

4. Interior Minister considers plan with IOM to boost international workforce

Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou has conveyed to IOM (International Organization for Migration) Director General Amy Pope Cyprus' willingness to look into implementing a pilot programme to attract labour force from third countries....

5. Media and UNHCR collaborate to foster a welcoming environment for refugees

During a meeting held on World Refugee Day, the Cyprus Media Ethics Committee, the Union of Cyprus Journalists, and the UNHCR Country Office in Cyprus gathered at the Journalist House in Nicosia to discuss...

6. Struggle for disabled children from Ukraine continues in host countries

A recent survey conducted by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has revealed that approximately 12% of families who fled Ukraine due to the conflict have at least one member with a disability....

7. More than 330,000 people displaced in Sudan due to conflict

Deadly conflicts in Sudan have displaced more than 330,000 people inside the country, while more than 100,000 have crossed the border to neighboring countries, the United Nations has announced....

8. US report: Harsh conditions in Cyprus prisons

The US State Department's Human Rights in Cyprus 2022 report highlights significant human rights issues in Cyprus. The report states that there were credible reports of harsh conditions in prisons and detention centers, particularly for asylum seekers....

9. Iranian who inspired ‘The Terminal’ dies at Paris airport

An Iranian man who lived for 18 years in Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport and whose saga loosely inspired the Steven Spielberg film “The Terminal” died Saturday in the airport that he long called home, officials said....

10. Mass arrest warrants issued after Pournara clash

A whopping 75 arrest warrants have been signed by a Nicosia judge following clashes at a migrant camp last week, with police seeking to capture all suspects after the interior minister vowed to deport anyone involved in the incident...

11. Police detain one person after Pournara incident

An asylum seeker in Cyprus was arrested over the weekend following an incident at Pournara migrant camp on Friday, when police made use of tear gas as people fled the overcrowded facility, with the interior minister vowing to expel anyone involved in clashes that also led to two tents catching fire...

12. Presidential contender flies to Congo to pave way

Cypriot presidential candidate Averof Neophytou has dipped his toes into the refugee relocation debate in Congo, where he met with officials during a lightning daytrip this week, saying it was an effort on his part to carry forward a repatriation agreement between the island and the former Zaire...

13. Cyprus welcomes Ukrainians amid complaints

European countries have been welcoming war-fleeing Ukrainians in the last few days, prompting Cyprus’ president to step in following complaints about PCR costs, but other reports suggested foreigners inside the former soviet republic were being treated differently including ethnic Greeks...

14. Greek PM defends migration policy in heated exchange with journalist (video)

Mitsotakis, whose center-right New Democracy party came to power in 2019, defended his government’s migration policy, calling it “tough but fair”, and said Greece was rescuing hundreds of people at sea since 2015 when it was on the frontline of Europe’s migration crisis....

15. Cyprus airs migration grievances at divided Europe

Interior Minister Nicos Nouris wants strong EU awareness on external borders to be shown in Cyprus as well, in remarks he made near the buffer zone on Sunday, just two days after the European Commission president signaled there would be no funding for barbed wire and walls...

16. Asylum seekers stuck in Cyprus' buffer zone

Cypriot Interior Minister Nikos Nouris says the ordeal of three Cameroonians currently stuck in the buffer zone could end if EU fellow members agreed to take them in, with reports saying the bloc is still looking for consensus on migration policy but nothing has been agreed to date...

17. Syrian boy allowed to reunite with parents

A young Syrian boy stuck in the north for over a month was reunited with his parents, following pressure on the government to allow the unaccounted minor to cross over to the south...

18. Damning State Dep. report highlights Cyprus human rights issues

A US State Department country report on human rights practices in 2020 proved damning for Cyprus which was found to have had significant human rights issues last year....

19. Pournara residents protest harsh camp conditions

Asylum seekers living in the Pournara camp located at the outskirts of Nicosia staged a peaceful protest on Monday against the delays in the processing of their applications, as well as against the severe overcrowding and harsh conditions of life in the camp....

20. Cyprus defends blocking migrant boats

A police task force from the Republic of Cyprus is hoping to hash out a plan with Lebanese authorities to deter “economic migrants” from traveling to the island, as government and state officials rush to respond to criticism over a decision to send back undocumented migrants to the neighbouring country...

21. LIDL Cyprus donates masks to fight Covid-19

22. UNHCR rep to provide statement on sexual harassment claims at Pournara

The UNHCR representative that raised the alarm regarding incidents of the sexual harassment of minors at the Pournara refugee camp in Kokkinotrimithia was expected to provide police with a statement on Wednesday, the outgoing police chief Kypros Michaelides said....

23. Probe into allegations of sexual harassment of minors at Pournara camp launched

Interior minister Nicos Nouris said a probe will be launched into reports made at the House human rights committee on Monday regarding the sexual harassment of minors at the Pournara refugee camp in Kokkinotrimithia. ...

24. UNHCR report: One per cent of humanity displaced

A UN Refugee Agency report released on Thursday showed that forced displacement is now affecting more than one per cent of humanity – 1 in every 97 people – and with fewer and fewer of those who flee being able to return home....

25. Racism, xenophobia rife in Cyprus, refugees say

A teleconference on Tuesday raised the multifaceted problems faced by refugees and asylum seekers on the island, such as racism and xenophobia, hardships during the coronavirus pandemic, and difficulties with integrating into Cyprus society....

26. Conditions at migrant camps improving, but arbitrary detention issues remain

The UNHCR office in Cyprus said on Monday that it was pleased with the steps being taken to improve the living conditions of asylum seekers on the island, but expressed hope that additional measures will follow to tackle the multifaceted issues that emerged amid the coronavirus outbreak....

27. Report draws attention to migrant centres

A report published this week by Ombudswoman Maria Stylianou-Lottides takes stock of current conditions in migrant facilities in the Republic of Cyprus, pointing out medical challenges, problems associated with weather, and asylum issues...

28. UNHCR steps in to ensure refugees in Cyprus receive proper protection

The UNHCR office in Cyprus has stressed that refugees must be included in the government’s planning and response to the Covid-19 pandemic, offering hands-on solutions to the myriad problems in the government’s handling of refugee and asylum procedures that have only been exacerbated by the current crisis....

29. Finland to accept 175 asylum seekers from Mediterranean 'hotspots'

The government of Finland announced on Thursday that it will be accepting up to 175 asylum seekers from Cyprus, Greece, Malta and Italy, in a bid to facilitate their humanitarian situation in EU member states in the Mediterranean....

30. Greece wants floating fence to keep migrants out

Greece wants to install a floating barrier in the Aegean Sea to deter migrants arriving at its islands’ shores through Turkey, government officials said on Thursday....